Graduate Portfolio Program in Security Studies
The Graduate Portfolio in Security Studies is a transcript-recognized credential for students who complete an interdisciplinary focus in security studies. It provides graduate students an opportunity to develop an interdisciplinary expertise in security studies from a variety of interrelated fields, including diplomacy, defense, intelligence, national security policy, homeland security, international affairs, human rights, war, peace, and conflict. The goal is for students to recognize and deepen their understanding of the interrelatedness of history and policy in the fields of national and international security. Students will be equipped to tackle key security challenges in academia or public service.
Students in the portfolio program receive multidisciplinary training in security studies by completing graduate coursework offered by the Departments of History and Government and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Additionally, students will attend and present security-related material at required security studies seminars. Students receive feedback to improve their research, communication, and presentation skills. The seminar series includes discussions with other students and with established scholars and practitioners in the field.
Requirements
Register for the Portfolio using the link below.
Courses. Certification in the portfolio program requires completion of four courses (12 credits hours) that have been approved by the Portfolio Steering Committee. Click here for a list of approved courses.
*D.C Concentration - for students with a D.C concentration, your elective must be from the list of approved courses above and your D.C internship will be counted as credit instead of additional coursework. The internship must be relevant to national security to receive credit.
GPA. All portfolio classes must be taken for a letter grade (i.e., not on a CR/NC basis). Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on portfolio coursework in order to be certified as having completed the Graduate Portfolio in Security Studies. Students must also be in good academic standing as determined by the Graduate School in order to have the portfolio completion noted on their official transcript as an official degree notation.
Seminar Participation. All students must attend a minimum of 4 seminars to receive credit. The seminar series can include presentations from graduate students as well as presentations from established scholars and experienced practitioners in the field of security studies. The seminar series will not count for academic credit. Students attend a seminar, give feedback on other students’ work, and may be asked to make presentations based on the seminar topic. Seminars are almost always held in the evening to accommodate graduate class schedules and usually last 3 hours.
Contact Emily Burch at [email protected] for more information.